Welcome to Acta Prataculturae Sinica ! Today is Share:

Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (6): 227-238.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2024347

Previous Articles    

Effects of different mixture ratios and lactic acid bacteria on the quality and aerobic stability of mixed silage made from whole maize (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) plants

Zong-yang KUANG1(), Lin MU1, Lan WEI1, Yang GUO1, Gui XU1, Yao CHEN1, Xue-yun SHI1, Zhong-shan WEI2, Zhi-fei ZHANG1()   

  1. 1.College of Agronomy,Hunan Agricultural University,Changsha 410128,China
    2.Hunan Deren Animal Husbandry Science and Technology Ltd. ,Changde 415921,China
  • Received:2024-09-09 Revised:2024-10-31 Online:2025-06-20 Published:2025-04-03
  • Contact: Zhi-fei ZHANG

Abstract:

Maize (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) are often grown with a strip intercropping cultivation mode in southern China. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of different mixture ratios and the addition of lactic acid bacteria on the quality and aerobic stability of mixed silage made from whole maize and soybean plants. Whole plants of maize and soybean were harvested separately, crushed, and mixed at various proportions, and then additives were added before ensilage. A two-factor completely randomized experiment was conducted. Factor A was the ratio of maize to soybean (based on mass, in kg), with the following treatments 1∶0 (A1), 2∶1 (A2), 1∶1 (A3), 1∶2 (A4), and 0∶1 (A5). Factor B was the type of lactic acid bacteria added, with the following treatments: Lactobacillus buchneri (LB), Lactobacillus plantarum (LP), and no Lactobacillus (L0). After 60 days of fermentation, the nutritional quality, fermentation quality, and aerobic stability of the silages were analyzed. The results showed that the effect of the interaction between the mixing ratio and the addition of lactic acid bacteria was extremely significant (P<0.01) for the contents of crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin, ether extract, and crude ash, the pH value, the contents of lactic acid, acetic acid, and propionic acid, the ammonia nitrogen/total nitrogen ratio (NH3-N/TN), and the duration of aerobic stability of the maize-soybean mixed silages. The contents of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and lactic acid were significantly higher in the A2 and A3 mixed treatment groups than in the other three mixed treatment groups (P<0.05). Compared with the L0 group, all treatments in the LP group, except for the A4 mixed treatment group, had significantly higher lactic acid contents (P<0.05) and significantly lower crude ash contents (P<0.05). Except for the A5 mixed treatment group, the other mixed treatment groups in the LP group had significantly lower pH values than those of the L0 group (P<0.05). Compared with the L0 group, all the mixed treatment groups in the LB group had significantly lower acid detergent lignin contents (P<0.05). The acetic acid content was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the A1, A2, and A3 mixed treatment groups than in the other groups, and the duration of aerobic stability was also longer. A grey relational analysis was conducted based on the 11 core indicators of each mixed silage treatment group. Among all the treatment groups, the top three in terms of a good ensilage effect as indicated by the weighted relational degrees were A2LP, A3LB, and A1LP. In conclusion, when making silage from whole maize and soybean, the mass proportion of soybean should be less than or equal to that of maize, and L. plantarum should be added to improve the fermentation quality.

Key words: mixed silage, whole-plant maize, whole-plant soybean, mixing ratio, lactic acid bacteria